The subject matter herein relates generally to circuit board connectors, and more particularly to mounting features for straddle mount connectors that are mounted to an edge of a circuit board.
One type of electrical connector used in today's electronic equipment is termed a “straddle mount connector” or “board edge connector”. The electrical connector is provided for receiving a circuit board having a mating edge and a plurality of contact pads or conductors exposed adjacent the mating edge of the board. Typically, the electrical connector includes contacts having cantilevered spring arms which are biased against the contact pads on the circuit board. The contacts are soldered to the contact pads after the electrical connector is mounted to the circuit board. The electrical connector includes board mounting features extending outward therefrom that rest on the surface of the circuit board. The board mounting features have an opening therethrough that is aligned with an opening in the circuit board. A separate fastener passes through the opening in the board mounting feature and the circuit board to hold the electrical connector to the circuit board. In some applications, the electrical connector and the attached circuit board form a sub-assembly for a further device. One such use for the electrical connector is in the assembly of making memory cards or other electronic devices.
Known electrical connectors are not without disadvantages. For instance, there is a trend to increase the density of electrical connectors and other electronic components on the circuit board. The real estate of the circuit board is valuable. There is a desire to reduce the amount of space the electrical connectors and other electronic components require on the circuit board. Having bulky board mounting features requires additional space along the edge of the circuit board, reducing the total space allowed for mounting electrical connectors or other electronic components to the circuit board.